Accepting Fate
by Malaika Anystazya
Summary: Syaoran, CEO of Li Corps, felt an attraction to Sakura, a waitress at a cafe, the moment he met her, which soon grows into love as he spends more time with her. But is he willing to take on this single mom of seven children? SxS
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Haha, I didn't think I should upload this, but I thought, Why not? So here I am! This one is definitely AU, and I'm not very far in it, but...ah well. I hope you enjoy!

~*~

* * *

Syaoran first met _her_ when he was in a meeting with the CEO of Tadamu Corporations in a small cafe where she'd been working as a waitress. Her emerald eyes had caught his ambers for a mere second, yet it was enough to see those sparkling pools of happiness.

He even remembered the Tadamu Corp CEO asking him if he was alright, staring off into space like that.

Well, needless to say, from that day on, Syaoran became a regular at the cafe. After about two weeks of coming to the small cafe, called _Cherry Blossoms Cafe_, without any contact with _her_, he finally began a conversation with that very same beautiful waitress.

"Hello, Miss. I hope I'm not being out of line, but you have the most gorgeous emerald eyes. I don't think I've ever seen such a stunning color of eye."

Okay, probably not the topic most people start off with when first speaking to somebody, but hey, give the man a break. He was simply _lost_ in those pools of emerald...he couldn't help it if it was his favorite color.

A small blush appeared on her dainty cheeks, and she bowed. "Thank you, Sir. I'll return the compliment by saying you have quite handsome eyes yourself," she thanked, giving one last bow before continuing on with her work.

Syaoran was floored. Her voice was like that of angels. Simply amazing. Stunning, just like every other feature of the woman.

"Wait!" he called out without thinking. She stopped and turned to him with a small smile.

"Yes?" she questioned.

Syaoran's mind was blank. He blurted out the first thing that made sense, "M-My name's Syaoran! Li Syaoran!"

Sakura smiled. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura. Nice to meet you, Li-san," she said, bowing to him for the third time in less than a minute. Syaoran let her continue on, staring at the empty seat across from him for quite some time in amazement before it occurred to him that his coffee had turned cold.

* * *

It was very rare to see a giddy Syaoran walk into the office in the morning, especially if it was a Monday-those were the worst. But it was different; today, he'd _talked_ to her!

He received many strange looks from the secretaries and workers that he passed, his big goofy smile shocking everybody. Their big stoic boss was _smiling_?

As he walked into his office, past his secretary, Mihara Chiharu, who stared after him in disbelief as he entered his office.

It wasn't long after that when Yamazaki Takashi entered, meeting his long-time girlfriend and raising an eyebrow at her bewildered face.

"What is it, Chi?" he asked, pulling off his coat.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" she offered, motioning to Syaoran's office.

Yamazaki rose an eyebrow as he walked into his boss and best-friend's working quarters, to find the man sitting in his chair, feet propped up on his desk, staring into space.

"You know, Syaoran, you have a meeting in forty-five minutes to discuss the merger between Tadamu Corp. Shouldn't you be preparing?" Yamazaki asked, sitting on the desk.

Syaoran turned to his friend in realization.

"Eh, Takashi. That's right. I should do that," he said, immediately straightening his posture. Yamazaki did not miss the light mood Syaoran moved in, nor the grin that graced his finely chiseled face.

"Syaoran, are you...alright?" Yamazaki asked slowly. Syaoran looked up at him curiously.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm perfectly fine! Better than fine, actually!" Syaoran said, his voice raising in excitement.

"And why is that?" Yamazaki asked, raising an eyebrow.

Syaoran sighed in defeat.

"Okay, you know that girl, the one from the cafe?"

Yamazaki nodded along, recalling the excited rant his friend had given him two weeks previously.

"Well, today, I stopped her, and we...chatted. She complimented my looks! Takashi, she has the most gorgeous...everything! Her voice was beautiful! Gosh, I have to meet her again...Kinomoto Sakura..." Syaoran went on, and Yamazaki burst in laughter. Syaoran's face flushed and he crossed his arms.

"Shut up, Takashi," he snapped in annoyance of his best friend.

"Fine, whatever you say, boss."

"..."

* * *

Sakura took a deep breath, the fresh outdoors air filling her lungs.

"Oh, how good it is to be alive," she chanted to herself, twirling around in the sidewalk. But she couldn't continue walking in this whimsical manner, as she bumped into something. Or rather, _someone_. Li Syaoran to be exact. And he just happened to be carrying a cup of coffee in her hands, which, of course, poured all over her shirt and skirt. She stared at him in shock, and he in disbelief.

"Kinomoto-san! I'm so, so sorry! Agh, dang it! This is...gagh, it's crappy. Please, Kinomoto-san! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed as she composed herself.

"Ah, it's Li-san, from this morning. Please, you just need to say sorry once. I'll be quite fine. I was just on my way home anyway. I can change there," she said, flashing a forgiving smile at him.

"I'll drive you!" he offered immediately.

"Oh, you really don't have to do that, Li-san. It's not that far. I can catch the bus and be there in a matter of minutes. Really, it's alright. It's my fault anyways for being foolish and dancing in the streets like that," she said, starting to pass him, but he stopped her.

"No, I insist! I'll have a guilty conscience over me the whole day if I don't do _something_. Please, Kinomoto-san," he cut in.

Sakura gave him a small smile. "Well, I wouldn't want to be the reason you'd be distracted like that. Thank you, Li-san," she thanked, bowing, and he grinned leading her to his car.

* * *

Syaoran glanced over at Sakura, who was smiling at the trees as they passed them by. Her gaze was innocent, carefree, wistful...and beautiful. She was such a naive girl to accept a ride from a man who might as well be a stranger. He could be some perverted old man for all she knew, yet she trusted him. Of course, Syaoran wasn't that at all; he was a respectful gentleman, and would do his duty and take Sakura home.

As they pulled up her tree-lined driveway, Syaoran couldn't help but be surprised. The house was quite large, with big grassy yards and blooming gardens. The house itself was a lavish Victorian-style three-story building, ivory lining the sides. It was quite the sight to look at. Syaoran glanced over at the woman in the passenger seat. 'How can a simple cafe waitress afford something like this?' he thought incredulously to himself, before he found he had stopped by the front door and Sakura was getting out.

"Thank you very much, Li-san. I really appreciate it," Sakura thanked him, and he grinned.

"Nah, it was the least I could do, honestly," he chided.

"Well, still, thanks. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow morning at the cafe then, Li-san," Sakura said, bowing.

"Yeah. See you," he replied, and she closed the door, stepping away from the car and waving as he drove off.

And Li Syaoran was mesmerized.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, that's the prologue! Hopefully I'll be able to finish the next chapter soon! Read and Review, please! :3**  
**


	2. Cake, Conversations, and Kids

**Author's Note: **The first real chapter, I guess. And thank you SO MUCH to those who reviewed and everything! It means a lot to me, really! Honestly! Ya'll are great! It really was your motivation that pushed me to write this! heehee ^^  
Anyways, please enjoy!

~*~

* * *

The next day, Syaoran was again at the cafe, an he was taking a sip from his mug when he saw a well-proportioned female body clothed in the cafe's uniform standing by his table. He looked up to see Kinomoto Sakura standing there with one of the cafe's smaller cakes in her hands. He rose an eyebrow in a questioning glance, setting down his cup.

"What's that?" he inquired, glancing down at what was clearly a cake.

"It's a cake! Isn't that obvious? I thought that I should repay you for yesterday, so I got this!" she explained cheerfully, extending the cake to him.

He grinned. "You don't have to do that, Kinomoto-san," Syaoran berated, putting up his hand to stop her from giving him the cake.

Sakura frowned in contemplation. "Ah, but Li-san, I already bought it, and I can't eat it all by myself. So please, I'd be very happy if you ate it. You can take it with you when you leave, if you like..." she argued.

Syaoran sighed. "I guess I have no choice then," he said, taking the chocolate cake. Then he smiled brightly up at her. "Here, why don't you eat it with me?" he suggested.

Sakura glanced around. "But, I'm at work. I really can't..."

"Sakura-chan! Come over here for a minute!"

Sakura turned to see her friend and coworker, Naoko, waving her over. Giving Syaoran an apologetic smile, she hurried off to Naoko.

When she got there, she gave Naoko a confused look. "What is it, Naoko-chan?" she inquired.

"Sakura! How can you so easily turn down an offer from a gorgeous man like _him_? And he's rich, too!" Naoko admonished, motioning with her head to where Li Syaoran sat, casually sipping his coffee.

Sakura glanced at him for a second before shrugging. "I don't know him that well," she stated simply.

Naoko rolled her eyes. "Well then go get to know him better," Naoko urged, spinning Sakura around and shoving her back towards Li Syaoran's table, causing the emerald-eyed waitress to blink in surprise.

"But-"

"Don't worry, I'll cover for you," Naoko interrupted, and Sakura sighed, being left with no choice but to walk back over to the man.

"Um...I guess it's alright if I ate it with you..." she explained as he looked up at her curiously.

Syaoran broke into a happy grin, trying hard to contain his increasing excitement. "Great! Take a seat!" he invited, motioning to the seat across from him.

Sakura giggled. "But, Li-san, we need plates and cutlery first. Wait here a moment-I'll just go get some from the kitchen," she chided, turning away and walking over to the kitchen as she'd turned back to head to the front of the cafe, and heard, for the millionth time that day, the chime of the front door. Working here, she'd quite grown used to it.

Syaoran sighed as he watched her leave, a content smile resting lightly on his face.

It wasn't long before Sakura was back with the cutlery and two plates, taking her seat across from Syaoran. She gave him the needed utensils, which he took kindy.

"Thanks, Kinomoto-san," he said, and Sakura nodded with a polite smile.

"You take the first piece, Li-san. After all, I _did_ give it to you," Sakura urged, and Syaoran rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"What kind of man would I be if I didn't let a woman have the first piece?" he retorted, and continued to cut the chocolate cake.

"Ah, but I couldn't! Li-san, please! I gave it as a gift, so it would be rude of me to take a piece for myself before you have yours!" Sakura exclaimed, her features growing more uneasy.

Syaoran let out an amused chuckle. "Well, seeing as it belongs to _me_ now, I get to decide who gets the first piece. So, Kinomoto-san, no more objecting," he returned triumphantly, and Sakura sighed in defeat.

"Fine then, but I'm waiting till you have your piece before I start eating it-that's common courtesy," the auburn-haired woman responded, letting Syaoran serve her a piece on one of the cafe's small plates.

She thanked him as he handed it to her, and then cut himself a piece as she waited.

"So, Kinomoto-san, your house yesterday...it was quite large," Syaoran offhandedly brought up as he picked up his fork. They both said the normal "Itadakimasu," before beginning to eat and continuing the initial conversation.

"Oh, that's owned by my friend, Tomoyo-chan. She inherited a lot of money from her mother's company, and that's one of her family's homes. Because it was the best offer for me at this point in my life, I'm living with her. But I assume it's nothing much, considering you yourself are a rich business-owner," Sakura replied, taking a bite of the cake with a blissful smile.

Syaoran shrugged. "I guess so. But I was just a little surprised, considering you're a waitress. I was curious at how you'd afford it, that's all," he explained.

Sakura smiled. "I guess it is a little interest-peaking."

"Is it only you and your friend living there?" Syaoran inquired. He hadn't really expected anything. In all the days he'd been coming here, he'd never seen any man come in to pick up or drop off Sakura.

"Well, there's my friend's husband and the kids..." Sakura replied, her voice fading as she spoke. She hoped that he, along with many others who'd posed the same question, would assume that she was speaking about Tomoyo's and her husband's kids. "But never mind me-what about you, Li-san? Are you living alone?" she questioned, diverting the attention from herself.

Syaoran nodded. "Yeah, I live in a pent house near my company. My mom and one of my sisters live in Hong Kong; another sister in Beijing; one in America; and another who travels a lot," he replied.

Sakura nodded. "You have four sisters? Neat. I only have a brother myself-oh, and his wife, so I guess you could say a sister-in-law," she said, and Syaoran rose an eyebrow. He'd expected her to be a little more surprised at the four sisters thing. Most people were, unless they came from large families themselves, but she'd said she only had a brother.

"Yeah. They're Feimei, Fanren, Fuutie, and Shiefa," Syaoran said, Sakura nodding along.

"My big brother is Touya. His wife is Kaho, and they have two wonderful kids, Hikari and Akito," Sakura said wistfully, thinking of her niece and nephew and their parents and bit forlornly. Not that she showed it to Syaoran.

"Three of my sisters are married. I feel sorry for their kids," Syaoran joked, shuddering as he thought of it. He loved his sisters, but they could be, at times, a little...over-excitable? To say the least.

"Why is that?" Sakura questioned, cocking her head to the side.

Syaoran shook his head. "You don't want to know. If you ever were to meet them, you'd understand. They can be a mite bit eccentric..." he responded, and Sakura's light laugh filled the air around them. Syaoran almost closed his eyes and laid back in delight, but Sakura was beginning to speak, and he had to concentrate immediately on what she was saying so as not to make a fool of himself.

"Li-san, I live with one _very _eccentric woman. I'm sure it couldn't be very much worse than constant cries of _'Kawaii! Kawaii! Kawaii! You're so kawaii, Sakura-chan!'_ Really, that girl finds me to be the most cute woman out there and she's not afraid to shout it to the world!" Sakura ranted, and Syaoran chuckled. He could see where Sakura's friend was coming from, really.

"Take that times four, and you'd get my sisters," he replied, and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.

"My, wouldn't that be hard to deal with? I feel sorry for you, Li-san!" Sakura said sympathetically, but her eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Hey, it's not funny!" he exclaimed, his cheeks growing warm as Sakura gave way to loud giggles at his dispense.

"S-so-sorry, Li-san! Really, I meant it when I said I feel bad for you! It's just...funny at the same time!" Sakura apologeized through her laughs.

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he playfully scoffed.

"So, what about your father? You didn't mention him before," Sakura asked when she'd calmed herself.

Syaoran's smile fell from his face, and he looked down at his plate. "My dad died when I was still in high school," he replied quietly.

"Li-san, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. My...My mother died when I was three," Sakura said remorsefully, and Syaoran looked up at her now-sad form hunched over her plate.

"Kinomoto-san, it's not your fault! And, I'm sorry about your mother, as well. That would have been very hard for you as well."

Sakura smiled brightly up at him. "It's all right! I got over it a long time ago. Um...thanks for letting me eat with you," she said, glancing at her watch before standing.

"Oh, do you have to go back to work?" Syaoran questioned, sensing that that wasn't the only reason for her leaving.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I guess I'll see you later, then, Li-san," she said, before hurrying off to continue with her job. She didn't like bringing up the subject of deaths among her family and close friends. It brought up too many painful memories for her to handle at this moment.

* * *

Sakura had been working at the cafe till noon that day, and Tomoyo had said she'd come pick her up. Sakura was still in her uniform as she sat waiting near the front door in one of the booths.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned to see Tomoyo standing beside her table, a large smile on her face.

"You'll never know how happy I am that your manager let me design the cafe's uniforms!" Tomoyo swooned as she looked over her friend, who was sweat-dropping over the statement she'd heard a million times before.

"Yeah, yeah, Tomoyo. But let's just go," Sakura said, standing and waving goodbye to her coworkers as she left with her long-time best friend.

"Of course! I know you miss being home! Ah! But I didn't have a chance to ask you about that man who drove you home yesterday!" Tomoyo said as the door closed behind them and they walked towards Tomoyo's black Porsche.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Of course that's what Tomoyo wanted to talk about. Whenever a mysterious man who happened to be kind to Sakura appeared while Tomoyo was around, there was always a questioning between the two females. Sakura opened the passenger side door with an exasperated sigh.

"His name is Li Syaoran. He's someone who's a regular at the cafe. Accidentally, he spilled his coffee on me yesterday, and he felt bad about it, so he drove me home. I got him a cake for thanks today, and I ended up eating it with him," Sakura explained as the two ladies got seated in the car.

"Li Syaoran? You mean that CEO of Li Corps? The one from China?" Tomoyo inquired, her voice peeking in curiosity. Sakura rolled her eyes to herself. Tomoyo would know who Li Syaoran was, seeing as she was the vice CEO of her husband's and her own company.

"Yes, that's the one," Sakura confirmed, nodding.

"He's quite the gentleman, isn't he? We've met him fleetingly at a few business parties, and he was certainly kind," Tomoyo said as she backed out of her parking space.

"Tomoyo-chan..." Sakura warned, her voice rising with a frown.

Tomoyo sighed. "Sakura-chan, I know. I'm just worried about you. It's not good for a-"

"I know, Tomoyo-chan. But it's only been two years. Please, you know how I feel about that subject. Li-san and I are just friends," Sakura snapped, cutting off her friend. Tomoyo pursed her lips and focused on driving, pretending not to notice the tears rolling down her best friend's face.

The two were silent for the rest of the ride home.

* * *

Sakura was working for most of the next day, on request of her boss. He said there were some important customers coming at noon, and he'd need her there to help, seeing as there were a few waitresses out sick and they would need the extra help.

So, here Sakura was, working her butt off, at eleven fifty-five in the morning, which was, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the time she got there for work. She didn't exactly _mind_ working the extra hours, especially since they were paying more.

Sakura heard the tinkling of the bells signaling that the front door was opening, and spun around to face the door with a wide and practiced smile.

"Welcome of Cherry Blossom Cafe!" she greeted, and then saw she recognized two of the faces in the large group of men dressed in business attire. "Ah, Takashi-kun! And Li-san, welcome! Good to see you here!" she said, smiling.

Li-san rose an eyebrow. "You two know each other?" he inquired, glancing between his good friend and the waitress.

"Yeah. I was going to tell you a couple days ago, but you told me to shut up, so..." Takashi said, grinning.

"Li-san, Takashi-kun is my friend Chiharu's boyfriend," Sakura explained.

"Mihara Chiharu?" Syaoran questioned, quirking his brow once again at Sakura.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Oh, that's right! She said she got a job as the CEO of Li Corps' secretary! That would be you! Funny, we've been connected through our friends all this time, Li-san," Sakura mused lightheartedly, and Syaoran nodded in agreement. He shot an irritated look at Takashi, but the other man didn't seem fazed by it in the least.

"Sorry, I should let you all get seated," Sakura said, turning back to the menus she was preparing.

"I called your boss earlier, Kinomoto-san, and he said he'd be sure to reserve us a seat in seclusion," Syaoran mentioned, causing Sakura to look up again.

"Oh, so you're the customers he was talking about. Alright then-follow me," Sakura said, turning and walking to the table farther into the cafe that was reserved for occasions like this, where the parties involved wanted the most privacy possbile from the public.

Sakura let them sit down, and waited a few moments before taking their orders. There was a total of six men in the group, and Sakura headed off to the kitchen with their choices from the menu in mind.

Sakura took the orders of a few other people before the orders of Syaoran's group were all ready. Just by a few glances at the reserved table, Sakura knew that it was an important business discussion they were having.

She carried their orders on a tray, making her way carefully over to the group.

"Here you are, everyone," she called out brightly, handing everyone their orders. She had gotten quite at memorizing who ordered what over the year and a half she'd been working here...too bad that this was where her good-memory stayed. Unfortunately, it didn't work quite so well others times outside of work.

The group of men all chorused their thank-yous, and Sakura replied with politely.

She turned back to head to the front of the cafe, and heard, for the millionth time that day, the chime of the front door. Working here, she'd quite grown used to it. But what was different this time, was that the sound was blended together with the light voices of young children. Sakura immediately knew who was there, and broke into a large grin as two near-identical five-year-olds ran up to her, followed by a slightly older girl and boy, and then a young girl holding on to the hand of an older boy, who looked to be about ten. Finally, in walked a man and a woman, the woman carrying the youngest child, who couldn't be older than two-years-old.

"Mommy!" the five-year-olds cried, jumping on Sakura, who'd bent to greet them.

Sakura grinned, wrapping the two up in her arms as the others caught up as well.

"Hello everyone!" she greeted, and Syaoran wasn't the only one staring at the pretty waitress in shock at the revelation.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay! Her kids are here! I know I haven't specifically identified all of their ages and none of their names yet, but I can guarantee it'll be in the next chapter! Once, more, a huge thanks to all who reviewed! Also to those who read, but it makes me happy when I hear encouraging words in the reviews.

Thanks for reading everyone!

~*~Malaika Anystazya~*~


	3. Perplexity

Woohoo, another chapter done! You get to meet the kids, and...? heehee, you'll get to figure something else out, too! ^^

Please Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sorry, I forgot to put this on the previous chapters, so, here it is. I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura or all the characters. CLAMP does, and, well, do I _look_ like I'm part of CLAMP? *looks at very Caucasian blond hair and skin* pause... *rolls eyes* haha no chance XD

* * *

Syaoran was staring at the sight of Sakura and the kids surrounding her calling her 'Mommy', a sick feeling in his stomach slowly making it's up way into his throat and mouth. He felt like he might puke.

But why? She was just the waitress. She was just the beautiful waitress, who also had the most amazing laugh and dazzling smile...The waitress who he'd driven home, and who he'd eaten cake with...She didn't feel like such a stranger anymore, but he certainly didn't know anything about _this_.

"What is it, Li? We're in the middle of a meeting," the Tadamu Corp CEO questioned.

"Syaoran? What's up, man?" Takashi asked, frowning at his boss and friend.

Syaoran motioned with his head to where Sakura was taking the young one from the woman with long, dark hair.

Takashi followed his gaze, and he cocked his head to the side. "Sakura-san and the kids, I see. I wish we could go say hi, but we're kinda busy right now, Syaoran, so, come on. I'll talk to you about it later," Takashi said, turning back to business. Syaoran, reluctantly, did as well.

"You'd better," he grumbled before getting back to the meeting.

* * *

"Thanks for bringing them here, Tomoyo," Sakura said while holding a giggling baby boy. She gave him an Eskimo kiss, at which the little boy chortled even louder and happier. Sakura giggled at him, amused at his familiar reaction.

"No problem! I guessed you wanted to spend time with your kids when the older ones have a day off school and both Eriol and I have to work," Tomoyo replied, smiling. Sakura nodded, looking over the six other kids. She noticed that the twins were fighting over something or other, and opened her mouth to break it up, but the navy haired man beat her to it.

"Daichi, stop pulling your sister's hair."

The twins looked up at the man, and the boy, Daichi, was about to protest, but Sakura butted in before that could happen. "Listen to Eriol-kun, Daichi," she sternly commanded, and Daichi sighed, letting go of the identical girl's light-brown hair.

"Yes, Mum," he said, and Sakura nodded.

"Good," she said, and then smiled at Eriol. "Thanks, Eriol-kun," she said, and he grinned, putting his arm around Tomoyo, his wife.

"No problem, Sakura-san. Tomoyo and I love your kids as if they were our own," Eriol said, and Sakura smiled.

"You two are the best friends I could ask for," Sakura chided affectionately, and then turned to the older two children.

"Kei, Nadeshiko, help the younger two get to the van. We're going to be playing today," Sakura said, and they grinned.

"Sure, Mom!" they agreed, turning to help the younger kids.

"Sakura-chan, your kids are really cute!"

Sakura turned to see Naoko there, staring at her young ones with a happy grin.

The emerald-eyed woman smiled. "Yeah, aren't they?" she agreed.

"Um, but Sakura...what are you going to do about work?" Naoko inquired, frowning worriedly.

Sakura's eyes widened, and with her free hand, slapped her forehead. "Oh no, I forgot. Maota-san will have my head," she reprimanded herself, groaning in annoyance.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Sakura-san. I called Maota-san ahead of time to tell him about your leaving early. It's all fine," Eriol assured her, and Sakura grinned.

"Alright then. See you later, Naoko-chan!" Sakura said, and was getting set to leave when Tomoyo stepped in front of her, a bag extended. "Tomoyo-chan, wha-"

"We're not leaving until you change into this, Sakura-chan. I'll take Takahiko," Tomoyo demanded, reaching for the toddler in Sakura's arms. Rolling her eyes, Sakura handed Tomoyo back the baby boy, exchanging him for the bag. Walking through the kitchen and into the staff bathroom, Sakura changed her clothes in one of the stalls. This was a new outfit of Tomoyo's, it seemed. It was a simple pink sundress with Tomoyo's favorite pattern to use on clothes for Sakura: cherry blossoms. There were pink ballet-flats to match, and after brushing her hair with the supplied brush, Sakura made her way back out through the kitchen.

Stepping into the customers' area, Sakura knew immediately that once again, she'd attracted many stares, but pursed her lips and ignored them as she made her wait outside to where Tomoyo and the rest were still getting settled into the limo. They could have just used a normal car, but because of the number of people...well, the rich can do this sort of thing. Sakura worried that her kids were getting spoiled too much.

"Oh, Sakura! I _knew_ it would look great on you! It's perfect! I love it! Now, Yamakanata-kun will drive us to work, and then, you can let him take him out with the kids!" Tomoyo explained the plan excitedly, and Sakura nodded, stepping into the limo where Eriol had just finished with all the kids.

They got settled, and the driver moved away from the curb, driving towards the large building where Tomoyo and Eriol worked.

Tomoyo and Eriol had merged their two companies, the Daidoji Industries and Hiiragizawa Corp after getting married, going by the name of Hiiragizawa Corp.

Tomoyo and Eriol bid Sakura and the kids farewell, Sakura returning the gesture.

"Kinomoto-sama, where would you like to go?" the driver asked, putting down the divider to speak with her.

"Please, Yamakanata-kun, would you take us to the nearest park?" Sakura requested.

"Certainly, Kinomoto-sama," Yamakanata-kun agreed.

"Thanks!" Sakura called before the elderly man closed the divider, leaving Sakura to the privacy she relished with her children.

"Okay everyone! It was kinda rushed before, my children. I want to hear all your voices, and I don't want it all at once! That'll wait for later! So, in birth order!" Sakura explained to all the children, and they all-well, almost all of them-understood what she meant, as Sakura did this often.

"Kei here, Mom!" Sakura smiled at the eldest boy, her dear ten-year-old with soft hazel eyes and light brown hair, much like his mother's.

"Nadeshiko, after Gramma," the nine-year-old girl said, offering her mother a pleasant smile with her shining green eyes and dark curly hair falling beautifully around her face. She really was like her grandmother.

"Isamu! The third child!" That would be the boy of seven years with messy near-black hair and dark eyes.

"Daichi! I love you Mommy!"

"Midori-chan! Mommy, I love you too!"

Those were the twins, the ones with the light brown hair. They each had a pair of chocolate-brown eyes, each bright with curiosity.

"Miki-chan! Hee hee!" Sakura smiled at her three-year-old, her short-grey-brown hair down down in braids and her green eyes happily sparkling.

Sakura looked down at the baby she held in her arms.

"And Takahiko-chan! Are you gonna say anything, Taka-chan?" she asked, tickling him under the chin, resulting in a bubbly laugh erupted from the small mouth of the boy, his light-brown eyes shining with his giggles.

She liked hearing them say their names like that for themselves. It gave her the sense of tranquility to know that they were all here and accounted for, as well as the soothing feeling she got from hearing their voices.

Sakura smiled as she looked over her happily chatting children, but felt a pang of sadness as she remembered who else should have been here with her, enjoying this moment of contentedness.

Pushing away those thoughts, Sakura smiled down at her son, tickling him some more. She knew each of these children like the back of her hand. She'd watched each of them as they started growing up, as they were all her own. They had once been hers to share, but no-

"Mommy, why are you crying?"

Sakura looked up to see Miki staring at her in worry.

"It's nothing, Miki-chan. Don't worry-I'm fine!" Sakura pushed out cheerfully, hitting herself mentally for letting those stray tears slip out. She glanced up and caught eyes with the older two, Kei and Nadeshiko. Biting her lower lip, she cast them a look of warning, and both nodded, understanding what she'd wanted and continuing on with what they were talking about.

They arrived at the park soon after that, and Sakura helped everyone out. Kei took Miki's hand, and Nadeshiko held hands with Midori, while Isamu walked next to Daichi. Neither would dare hold hands with the other.

Sakura smiled as she looked over her kids, Takahiko in her arms, and then turned to see which park they were in. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was, and she turned back to Yamakanata-kun.

"U-um, Yamakanata-kun, I..."

"Yes, Kinomoto-sama?" he asked, smiling kindly.

Sakura bit her lower lip, contemplating whether or not to ask if he could take them somewhere else, but decided she didn't want to have to go through the trouble of getting all the kids back in again and then driving some more.

"Thanks for driving us. I'll give you a call when we need to be picked up, okay?" she said, and Yamakanata-kun nodded, heading back to the car.

"Alright. Until later, Kinomoto-sama!" he said, opening the driver-side door.

"Yes, goodbye," Sakura called back, and then turned to the park, heaving a sigh of remorse.

"Mom, is this okay?"

Sakura looked over at Kei, who was looking a little worried.

"Yes, Kei. We should probably come here more often anyways," Sakura said, starting to walk onto the pathway which went through the park.

"Are you sure, Mom? I mean, we don't have to go over _there_," Nadeshiko said, coming up to her mother.

"You two shouldn't be worrying about your mother. That makes me feel so pitiful," Sakura said playfully, smiling at her two eldest.

Kei and Nadeshiko exchanged a look of exasperation, but shrugged it off and continued on the walk, helping the younger ones.

Sakura saw what they were approaching, behind the initial part of the park where people usually stayed when here.

"We'll go there first," she decided out loud, and led the children over to the stairs which led them up to a higher plateau of ground, an area surrounded by a fence. Sakura and her children walked in through the gate, sharing a tight smile with a couple who was just leaving.

They nodded to her, glancing at the children before walking off, hugging each other as they tried not to cry. Sakura assumed that it was a very recent death. Sighing, she turned back to face the place of her dread.

A cemetery.

"Mum, have we been here before? It's familiar..." Isamu asked, looking to her curiously.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, we have. Now, Kei, Nadeshiko, I think you two know the way. Let's go," Sakura said, walking off towards her destination.

Sakura found the tomb much too quickly than to her liking, and let the children look at it.

"Who's this, Mommy?" Isamu asked her, and Sakura forced a smile on her face.

"His name is Tsukishiro Yukito-see the kanji, there, Isamu? This man...this man is..." Sakura began.

"Mom..." Nadeshiko chided, frowning up at her mother.

Sakura offered her oldest daughter a weak smile. "Don't worry about me, Nadeshiko. Little ones, this man died two years ago, just after Taka-chan was born," Sakura explained to the little ones. "It was a car accident," she added, her voice beginning to shake as she tried to fight off the tears building in her emerald eyes.

"Did we know him?" Daichi inquired, his voice innocent and naive. Too much so that it pained Sakura to hear him and see that carefree expression on his face.

"Yes," Sakura said, choking on her words. "This man, Yukito...was your father."

* * *

"Okay Takashi. Tell me what's up with Kinomoto-san. And how does she know the Hiiragizawa duo of Hiiragizawa Corps?"

Takashi sighed, crossing his arms as he stood in front of Syaoran's desk. "I know Eriol and Tomoyo-san too. They're good friends of Chiharu's, and through her, me too. Sakura-san lives with the Hiiragizawa's in one of Tomoyo-san's family's houses, along with all her kids," Takashi explained.

"And they're all hers? She didn't adopt, or they're not the Hiiragizawas'?"

"Those children all belong to Sakura-san. Look, Syaoran, I'm really not the person you should be talking to about this. It's not my business," Takashi said, and then gave Syaoran a pointed look. "It's not your business either," he put in.

Syaoran glared back. "What kind of idiotic married woman takes rides from other men, then? Why did she let me give her a ride if she already has a husband?" he demanded, growing more agitated over the subject as the seconds ticked away on that annoying clock hanging over the door. Syaoran felt like throwing his shoe at it or something.

Takashi bit his lip. "Chi is gonna kill me for this," he muttered under his breath before addressing Syaoran. "Listen, Syaoran, about that. Sakura-san's husband, two years ago, he-"

The ringing of the phone cut Takashi off from saying any more. Syaoran glared at the phone.

"Uh, are you going to pick that up?" Takashi asked nervously. He recoiled in fear when his eyes met with Syaoran's ticked off glare.

"This comes first," Syaoran's cold voice said over the ringing, and Takashi sweat-dropped. "What happened to Kinomoto-san's husband?" Takashi marveled at Syaoran's ability to maintain an even tone despite an evil look like that.

"U-uh..."

The ringing had stopped, and a silence hung in the air between the two men, neither of them moving, neither saying a word as the tension built, thickening the air in the now seemingly stuffy office. It was broken by the hard knocking on Syaoran's door, and the amber-eyed CEO groaned.

"Come in!" he called in irritation, and the door immediately opened, revealing a rather annoyed Chiharu.

"Oh, hey Chi!" Takashi greeted, breaking out into a tentative grin and attempting to run over and squeeze out using Chiharu as an excuse.

"Takashi." Syaoran's cold voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

Chiharu watched the two men in confusion before rolling her eyes, assuming that her idiotic boyfriend had done something to tick off their boss again.

"Li, why haven't you been answering your calls? President Tadamu of Tadamu Corps has been calling about the final deal on this merger. Why didn't you pick up?" Chiharu explained, giving them her reasons for being here.

Syaoran sighed. "It's a personal thing. I'll get to that in a minute, but first, Takashi, finish what you were saying," he demanded.

Chiharu frowned. She didn't like the tensity between them, and wanted to drag Takashi away immediately to break it, but she knew better than to oppose Li Syaoran.

Takashi sighed. "Fine. Just under two years ago, Sakura-san's husband-"

"Takashi! How could you!?"

Takashi turned to Chiharu with a worried look. "But Chi, he saw all of the kids today. Sakura-san's the one who Syaoran's been talking about," he explained to his upset girlfriend, who only slightly regretted her outburst.

Chiharu's eyes widened. "He...saw them? B-b-but, there's no way Li can expect to win over Sakura-chan or anything," Chiharu said, her speech wavering.

"Why ever not, Mihara-san?" Syaoran's cool voice called over to them.

Chiharu turned to him, her face creased in worry. "Well, she's the most dense person you'll ever meet, and, oh yeah, she has _seven kids_. Plus, whenever we bring up getting her to date again, she ignores us completely! She doesn't want a relationship, not at all! So, with all due respect, Li, Sakura-chan is just not going to get into an intimate relationship again, not even if it's with you," she explained, thinking worriedly of her good emerald-eyed friend.

Syaoran's eyes narrowed. "What was it that Takashi was telling me about her husband?" he asked.

Chiharu shared an uncertain glance with Takashi before the said man took a deep breath.

"Syaoran," Takashi explained, "not very long after Sakura's youngest was born, her husband was killed in a car accident."

Syaoran froze, staring at the couple near his office door.

"Oh...oh..."

Takashi sighed, turning to Chiharu. "We should leave him for a minute. I'll take the call from Tadamu right now," he said, and Chiharu nodded in agreement as they both left the office, leaving their boss and friend to think over the previous conversation in good length.

* * *

Tomoyo was in her office, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was going on. She frowned, and went with her instinct, picking up the phone and dialing Sakura's number. No surprise; the auburn-haired woman's cellphone was turned off. Sighing, she dialed another number.

"Moshi moshi, Yamakanata-kun here."

"Yamakanata-kun, this is Tomoyo. Is Sakura there?" Tomoyo asked as she flipped through some documents.

"No, I just dropped her off at Penguin Park with the kids," Yamakanata replied, and Tomoyo's eyes widened in shock.

"O-oh, thanks then. Talk to you later. Bye," Tomoyo said, keeping her voice from shaking.

"Yes, Hiiragizawa-sama. Goodbye," Yamakanata replied, and Tomoyo shut her phone, standing immediately from her seat. She started preparing a note that she'd give to Eriol's secretary to give to anybody who asked where she was, but the phone rang just as she got the paper and a pen. Sighing, she put it on speaker-phone and answered.

"Hello? Vice CEO Hiiragizawa Tomoyo of Hiiragizawa Corp speaking," she greeted with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Hello Hiiragizawa Tomoyo-san. This is Li Syaoran, CEO of Li Corps. It's in my understanding that you're good friends with Kinomoto Sakura," the male voice on the other end said.

"Yes, that's correct, Li-san. But why are you calling?" Tomoyo replied, frowning and deciding to pick up the receiver and turn it off speaker phone. Doing so, Tomoyo took a seat back in her chair.

"Well, Hiiragizawa-san, I was at the cafe at noontime and I saw her children...I have something I would like to discuss with Kinomoto-san. Would you happen to know where I could find her at this moment?"

Tomoyo felt a mischievous smirk come over her face as a plan formulated in her head.

"Why, yes Li-san, as a matter of fact, I do."

* * *

**A/N:** Mwahahahaha, what could Tomoyo be planning? *evil smirk* heehee, I can't wait to start the next chapter. And really, I'm surprised at how fast I'm updating this. Wrote this all in one day, I did ^^!

Heehee. So now you know about the kids' father and all. :) Hope you aren't _too_ surprised...but still a little. :D

And I know Penguin Park is in Tomoeda, but I needed a fictional park, and Penguin Park was a park from the anime, so...I used it! heehee^^

Also, I may have made Takashi a bit...different, but it's needed. Syaoran would get ticked off too easily with trying to get information out of a Takashi who keeps bringing up fake stories. But I _will_ try to put in more of Takashi's story-telling character for the chapters to come.

I'm so happy with all the reviews I've been getting! You guys are so nice :) luv ya'lls!

~*~Malaika Anystazya~*~


	4. Hidden Memories

Another chapter, after the wait. Sorry about that, but, if you've seen my profile or whatever, you should know that I am no longer on semester break and yes, I have school, and a whole bunch of extracurricular activities, like piano, karate, basketball...I'm involved in my school, and whole bunch of other stuff, so it's harder for me to be putting out chapters very fast.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura. CLAMP does. Okay?

* * *

**Flashback**  
_  
Sakura stared at the paper in her shaking hands, scanning the letter's contents one more time to make sure it was real._

_"Sakura, how many times do you have to read it before you're satisfied?"_

_Sakura looked up in surprise at the man who'd given her the letter._

_"T-Touya'nii-chan..."_

_Touya sighed. "Look, Sakura, you know I'm trying to be nice to you today, but really, whatever Yuki wanted to tell you, it must have been special, and you should honor his wishes," Touya said, and Sakura's eyes watered up in her depression._

_"B-but, Onii-chan...Yukito, he...he said...he said that I...that I should...should..."_

_Touya held up his hand to stop her. "You don't have to tell me. What was written there was between you and Yuki, not me," he said, and a teary-eyed Sakura finally broke and jumped balling into her brother's arms._

**Flashback: End**

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as the memory of that horrible time flashed through her mind. She stared at the tomb of her dead husband, the old flowers wilted and dead.

Tears slipped out of her eyes, but she hurriedly wiped them away. It did not good to dwell on the past.

So why did it hurt so much?

The letter had been packed away in her closet in Tomoeda, not having seen the light since the night she first received it. That letter, the last words to her from Yukito, and she didn't want to see them in the least. It wouldn't matter anyway-she'd read over it so many times that the memory was etched into her head. She could easily recite the entire content of the letter without having to actually look at it, even after two years.

"Yukito..."

Sakura had sent her children to play, telling them she'd be there soon. Kei was old enough to care for Takahiko, and Nadeshiko had the sense to be a good judge of right and wrong among the ones younger than her.

Sakura was gazing longingly at the grave when a shadow fell over her. She frowned, and looked over her shoulder to see who was there. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked.

They weren't any acquaintances of her, and that wasn't the most scary part. It was a group of five men, and they grinned at her in a way that made her stomach flip uneasily.

"Wh-who are you?" she stuttered, and the man who seemed to be the leader stepped towards her.

"Names aren't all that important, little lady. Now, how about you come with us," he slurred, placing his hand on her arm.

"N-no, thanks," Sakura mumbled, trying unsuccessfully to pull away. "Please, let me go! Please!"

The man grinned. "Sorry, but I can't do that," he replied sadistically. Sakura's eyes widened in fear as he began pulling her. She let out cries for help, until another of the men clasped his hand over her mouth as they began to drag her away.

Sakura felt tears begin to fall, once again, from her eyes. _What about my kids? What will they do? I can't let these men take me away! They'll make me abandon my children! And Yukito! Goodness, please, someone, save me!_

"You should stop struggling you know," the man holding her warned. Sakura shot him a dirty look, and ripped the hand off of her mouth.

"You scumbag. I hate people like you the most. You don't deserve to be called a man!" she snapped, and her captor spun on her, not hesitating to raise his hand and give her a hard whack across the face. Sakura took the blow, squeezing her eyes tightly shut, trying not the cry at the sudden pain.

"You little b-"

Sakura heard a sickening thud, and an agitated cry, along with some grunts and more thuds. She didn't dare open her eyes, not even when the hands that had been holding her loosened and released her.

She felt a hand rest atop her head, and flinched at the touch.

"Kinomoto-san, it's alright. We should get out of here."

Sakura's eyes shot open, and she stared at a grim-looking Li Syaoran.

"L-Li-san! W-whatever are you doing here!?" she exclaimed, hurriedly wiping the tears from her face.

He sighed. "It's a little complicated. But we're lucky I got here in time. Are you alright? Did they hurt you-well, that slap sounded horrible. Is it alright?"

Sakura sighed, holding her cheek. "I'll be fine, Li-san. And...thank you so much for saving me. My kids, I don't know what I would have done if...if...well, you get the idea," Sakura said, bowing low in gratification.

Syaoran sighed. "Kinomoto-san, you have to be more careful. Now let's go, your kids are waiting. I think they got a little weirded out when a stranger came running asking where you were," he said, and Sakura looked up at him, a light blush on her face.

"Oh, you know my kids then? They're the most beautiful, adorable little ones you've ever seen, aren't they? I love them more than anything," Sakura ranted on, and Syaoran chuckled.

"They are, I suppose. But, Kinomoto-san, Tsukishiro-san would not have wanted you to go this alone," Syaoran said, catching her eye pointedly.

"I'm not alone. I have Tomoyo and Eriol-kun, and Chiharu-chan, Takashi-kun, Rika-chan, and Naoko-chan, as well as all my other friends from work...I'm _not_ alone, Li-san. Please don't make assumptions about me when we hardly even know each other. And it isn't your business what Yukito would have wanted. How do you even know about that anyways?" Sakura replied, crossing her arms.

"First off, Takashi is my best friend and works with me, so I learned from him. It's not exactly normal for a woman to get a ride with another man, whom she doesn't know, especially when she's already married, so I was...concerned, when I saw your kids. And on the other subject...I did not mean friend-wise. I know you're plentiful in that area. I _meant_ with another man. I know from personal experience how sad it is to live without your father, but it would have been better to have at the very least, a father-figure," Syaoran said, stepping towards Sakura.

"My children and I get along just fine, thank you. I don't need to hear anything about my finding another man from another person, especially someone who doesn't know me very well at all," Sakura said, gathering herself and stepping in to pass him. She did not catch any hints Syaoran may have tried to through at her.

Syaoran moved into her way, his sharp amber eyes focusing on her emeralds, which were now glaring up at him in annoyance.

"What do you want from me!? We hardly know each other, for crying out loud!" she demanded, growing more annoyed and irritated as the seconds ticked by.

Syaoran ran his hand through his hair, leaning back with a sigh. "Kinomoto-san, our lives our inevitably joined. You work at the cafe I go to every morning, and that's not even the beginning. Your best friend and her husband, the people you live with, are connected business-wise to me, and we get along quite well anyways. Your friends, Mihara Chiharu and Yamazaki Takashi, work for me, as my secretary and my vice CEO. Takashi has been my best friend even before I took the head of my company. Ah, and I believe your mother's grandfather headed a company that is now joined with Li Corps. Not to mention the fact that I just saved you from some perverted idiots. Without me, who knows where you'd be right now? Who knows what would be happened to you, or your kids?"

Sakura frowned at him. "Alright, so what? What do you _want_ from all of this?" she questioned, trying to remain calm throughout the ordeal.

"For now, all I would expect is friendship...Sakura-san."

Sakura's eyes snapped to attention, and she gave him a mean glare, but softened within seconds as she decided he was trustworthy.

"Alright then. A friendship it is, Syaoran-kun-if I may call you that," she said, putting her hand out.

Syaoran took it, nodding. "I'm glad," he said, and they shook hands.

Sakura smiled hesitantly before her hand flew to her forehead. "Oh, gosh, my kids! I have to go get them!" she exclaimed, turning back to the park.

"Thanks, Syaoran-kun," she said, nodding before they both set off quickly out of the cemetery and to the park.

The kids were fine, playing on the swings, and Kei and Nadeshiko had the younger ones under fine control.

"Mom! Are you back already?" Isamu called, looking up from the sand and grinning at her.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine," Sakura said, stepping down to Nadeshiko, who'd been holding Takahiko, and releasing the younger girl of her weight burden.

"Sakura-san, I'm sorry, but I'm not exactly sure of all of their names..." Syaoran confessed, giving her an apologetic smile.

"Ah, of course! Okay, well, my eldest is Kei," Sakura said, motioning to the boy who now held Miki after stopping the swing. "Nadeshiko is my nine-year old, a year younger...she was named after my mother," Sakura continued, smiling forlornly before continuing. "Isamu is seven," she introduced, patting her son on the head before grinning at the twins. "Daichi and Midori are my five-year-old twins-you could tell by looking at them, though," she said as the two held their eldest sister's hands tightly, but grinning at their mother and Syaoran. "Miki-chan, the little sweety Kei is holding, is three, and this guy, Takahiko, is two..." Sakura finished, drifting off as she thought of the incident two years earlier. She shook it off, turning with a smile to Syaoran. "And those are all my beloved children!"

Syaoran blinked a couple of times, before chuckling. "They're wonderful...I suppose they take after their mother," he said, flashing her a grin, at which Sakura turned away, trying to conceal her pink-tinted cheeks.

"Th-thank you, Syaoran-kun," she said, and slipped her hand into her purse, fishing out her pink cellphone.

"What can we call you?" Nadeshiko asked politely, turning to Syaoran with a pleasant smile.

"How about 'Onii-chan'?" he suggested playfully, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Wouldn't ojisan be more appropriate?" she put in, and Syaoran grinned at her.

"Ah, but onii-chan is funner!"

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. "Just call him whatever. Syaoran-san, if you like, or ojisan. But I don't think he could be an onii-chan. He's not any younger than me," Sakura said, and the older kids chuckled.

"Hey, how would you know how old I am?" Syaoran said, turning to her with a raised eyebrow.

"You're best friends with Takashi, right? And Takashi is older than me. So, I'd expect you to be the same age as Takashi, give or take a year. Which would mean you are either my age or one or two years older than me. In theory," Sakura retorted logically.

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Fine then. Takashi is a little under two weeks older than me," he admitted.

"Then you're older than me by a year!" Sakura chided, grinning at her victory in the small banter as she dialed a number in her cellphone. "Please excuse me for a minute," she said to Syaoran and the kids, turning away and waiting for the person on the other end to pickup. It didn't take more than two rings.

"Hello? Is this Kinomoto-sama?"

Sakura smiled. "Yes, Yamakanata-kun. I'm ready. You can come pick us up," she said.

"Pick you up? But, Kinomoto-sama, I'm very far from where you are...Hiiragizawa-sama told me that I was free until she and her husband were to go home from work. She said you had another ride arranged..."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, and then instantly narrowed in annoyance. "Is that so? Then sorry for taking up your time," she gritted, trying to be polite to him before saying her quick goodbyes and snapping her cellphone shut. "That stupid Tomoyo. What is she thinking?" she muttered in irritation as she spun around again to face the others.

"What was that?" Kei asked curiously.

"Nothing important...Syaoran-kun, may I ask what type of vehicle you used to get here?" Sakura asked, turning the chestnut-haired man.

"Hm? Oh, I took a limo. It was ready and available at the moment, so..."

Sakura nodded, sighing.

"Well, I don't know what is going through Tomoyo's mind, but, please, can you give the kids and I a ride home? It seems Tomoyo told our limo-driver he wasn't needed here," Sakura requested. Syaoran blinked a couple of times, before putting on a light smile.

"Sure, that'd be fine. Let's go," he said, and they all headed to the entrance of the park, where a very conspicuous black limo waited.

* * *

At home, after getting all the younger kids settled playing, Sakura went straight to her room. She locked the door tightly, and then walked over to her desk. She pulled open the top drawer, pulling out the pictures there. The first one was taken a long time ago, back when Sakura's mother was still alive. It was a family photograph, and Sakura smiled as she ran her fingers gently over the dusty surface of the old picture. They were all grinning and truly, honestly happy. At peace with the world. No worries in the least.

The next picture was another happy picture, despite the fact that one family member was missing. Her, her father, and Touya were all happily posing for a picture while on vacation. The next was a picture even older than the first, of both of her parents. It was actually their wedding picture. Sakura smiled fondly at the overjoyed young couple that was her parents before continuing on to a picture of her father. It had been taken on a normal morning when he'd been making breakfast, smiling as happily as ever. Sakura smiled giddily, remembering her childhood and high school days, when her father had always been there, making breakfast in the morning. Even if he was out on an expedition, Sakura always knew he'd be back soon with a surprise.

Sakura looked at the next picture, of Touya and his family. It was the most recent of the pictures. He was happy with his wife and two children. Sakura loved them all dearly, and enjoyed visiting them very much.

The final picture was one Sakura hadn't looked at for such a long time, long over a year ago. She had the picture-side turned down, and she debated actually looking at it for several minutes. Should she? What would be the affects of looking at this photograph? Would she break down in tears? Would she rip it into millions of tiny pieces? Would she do nothing?

There was only one way to know.

Hesitantly, very slowly, she flipped the picture over and stared at the picture.

A wide arrangement of emotions overwhelmed Sakura, but her first reaction was to immediately flip it back over. Sakura stared at the blank side for a few moments before taking a couple deep breaths and once again flipped over the picture. This time, she didn't turn it over, but instead, studied the happiness on her face. On _his_ face. Both were incredibly joyous, and why shouldn't they be? This was her wedding picture after all.

Sakura felt a tear slip down from her eyes, and immediately wiped it away, putting away all of the pictures. She took a deep breath.

It was time to come to grips with the past. And this was the first step.

Sakura picked up the phone and dialed a very familiar phone number. The person on the other end picked up soon.

"Hello, Touya'nii-chan? It's me, Sakura. Would it be fine for me to come to Tomoeda tomorrow?"

* * *

**A/N: **Shorter than I would have liked, but what can you do?

Hope you review!


	5. Insanity

Just read. Apologies and explanations are later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura or the characters or anything.

* * *

Sakura stared up at the house. It seemed ominous, just standing there, no lights on, no cars in the driveway, no signs of life. Nobody had lived in it for two years, so all was understandable.

"Missy, have you heard about this house? The couple that lived here had seven children when the husband died. Nobody's lived here since."

Sakura turned to see an old man standing beside her.

"Ah, is that so? I feel sorry for the family," she said, nodding, emotions twirling about in her body. She didn't want the man to feel bad, so she'd hide the one little fact that _she_ was the mother of that very family.

"Yeah, everybody in the town was remorseful. They were such a nice couple, both very kind and cheerful people. Everybody misses the happiness they and their family shared," he commented, and Sakura bit her lower lip.

"Thank you for sharing," she said, her voice quavering.

"Not at all," he replied, and continued on his way. Sakura took a deep breath, and once the man was gone, she started up the driveway and then up the steps. Trying the door, she found it unlocked, and pushed it open.

Stepping inside, she looked around the entry hall as she slipped off her shoes. It was fairly empty, but Sakura had left many things behind. Too many memories that were best left forgotten.

It was so dusty. Of course; nobody living in it for two years will do that to a home. Sakura slowly made her way through the house, ending her exploration in her bedroom.

Smiling, she looked around at the room she'd shared with Yukito. The bed was still there, the dresser, the closet...she'd left almost everything here except for her personal belongings.

And now, she came to the reason she was here. Into the closet she look, reaching into the far corner, into the hole in the wall. Inside that hole, she found it. The letter.

Hastily pulling out the yellow, old, wrinkly piece of paper, Sakura slowly unfolded it. It pained her heart to see that familiar style of writing, that sweet way he addressed her, the little picture he drew at the bottom, no matter how quickly it was done.

After reading it once, she burst into tears. Leaning on the bed, she cried for what seemed like hours to the woman. She wasn't sure of how long she was there, tears pouring from her eyes. In fact she wasn't sure of much of anything, except for one cold decision. Wiping her tears away, she left the room, abandoning her last words from her dead husband on the bed.

Running out of the house, she continued sprinting until she reached her brother's home. She knew her brother and his family were currently out of the house, which made it all the easier.

Grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, she wrote a quick note, leaving it on the kitchen table before grabbing something out of her purse. She was about to leave when the familiar tune of her ring tone broke the eerie silence of the house.

Sakura bit her lower lip, and decided, she should take this, for she hadn't a thing to lose.

Slowly, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she greeted tentatively.

"Hello, Sakura-san, this is Syaoran. You're in your hometown, I hear. How's it?"

Sakura blinked a bit in surprise, but replied, "It's fine. You talk to Tomoyo?" she said, trying to hide her emotions with cheerfulness.

"Well, we're in business together, and there are connections between other friends, including you," he replied, and Sakura nodded.

"I see. Well, I'm kinda busy..." she said, trying to finish the phone call and wondering why she even bothered answering it.

"Oh, sorry to bother you then. But, um...well, never mind. I'll see you when you get back, I guess," he said. Sakura pursed her lips, but pushed her voice.

"I guess. Bye," she said, hoping he wouldn't catch the sadness in her voice.

"Okay. Bye!" he replied, and Sakura quickly shut her phone, staring at it's glossy cover.

"Is this really the right choice?" she murmured to herself, before shaking her head. Of course it was. And it would be best to leave her phone here. Placing the phone back in her purse and leaving her purse on the table, she set off outside.

* * *

Touya pushed open the door, grocery bags in hand. Kaho was picking up their kids from school, and he expected Sakura to be either somewhere in the house or exploring the town a bit...he knew the latter was more likely.

Setting down the grocery bags on the table, he noticed Sakura's purse sitting there. Raising an eyebrow, and wondering if she'd forgotten her purse, he sighed in exasperation.

"Silly kaijuu," he muttered to himself, but stopped when he noticed the purse wasn't the only thing left on the table. He picked up the piece of paper, and quickly read the note from his sister.

When he finished, he felt like his heart was about to stop. The letter fluttered to the ground, but he was already out the door yelling, everything else forgotten.

_Touya and Kaho,  
I'm sorry for what I've done. Please tell everyone I love them, and that I'm truly very sorry. Forgive me, please. This way is best.  
Love, Sakura_

* * *

Sakura stared down from her high perch. It would be so easy. Right now.

Pulling something out of her pocket, she stared. It was a picture, one of her family. All of her kids, and...Yukito. Closing her eyes, she lay a soft kiss on the photograph, before letting it fall from her fingers. Slowly, tentatively, she stepped towards the edge of the cliff, her decision clear.

* * *

Sirens were blaring, but it was all too late. Touya and Kaho stood near each other, both at a loss, the sadness overwhelming.

For, that dear little sister, that aspiring pretty lady, had jumped off a cliff, and had joined her husband in death.

* * *

~|*|~

~|*|~

~|*|~

* * *

Sakura sat up, a thin layer of sweat across her brow. Looking around herself, eyes wide, she slowly felt the adrenaline rush slow when she realized that she was in her bedroom.

Laying back in her relief, she took several deep breaths.

"I will _never_ kill myself," she assured herself out loud. "That's the coward's way out."

Pushing away the covers, she turned on her light, pulled on her housecoat, and went downstairs to make herself a coffee.

"Yukito would hate me forever," she muttered as a final comment, before deciding to forget the silly dream and continuing on with her day.

* * *

Haha! April Fools, to you all. You didn't _actually_ think I'd kill Sakura with like, no story line at all, right? It was a joke, only a joke! Besides, I felt like I owed people _something_, after no updating for who-knows-how-long. And I'm incredibly sorry for that, but I have many things on my hand right now. I promise, I _am _working on the next chapter (although, don't expect too much. It's sort of a filler...explaining a couple of things...^.^'). Um...but I do a LOT of other writing, and I just started a story project that is closer to home for me than this story, and my other fanfiction stories, so that is my main writing thing right now. But who knows? I'm on spring break, so maybe I'll manage to finish. But don't expect a lot from me...

Anywho. Hope you have a good April Fool's Day.


	6. Arrangements

**Author's Note:** Yay! I finished it! The day after my April Fool's joke, too! Heehee. This _is_ short, I know, and you're probably thinking, 'It took her a month to write _that_!? What the heck!?' Except I had a little trouble. I wasn't going to have this chapter at all before; I was going to go straight to Sakura in Tomoeda. However, I thought I should put this is, so the idea changed. I kept what I'd written before, though, so know I have a small headstart on the next chapter.

But honestly, I could have finished this much sooner. It was just laziness and other things getting in the way. As I said in my note before, I have started writing a story/series thing that is important to me, and takes up much of my writing time. As well as the fact that I recently got into jdoramas...those take up time, too. ^.^

Anyhow, enjoy the chapter, short it may be, and look forward to the next chapter (although there will be a wait). Expect it to be more serious :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura or the characters or anything. This is purely fanfiction.

* * *

"Tomoyo'nee-san! Play with us!"

Tomoyo offered the five year old's a smile, but it was forced, and she had a hard time to not show her irritation. It was the _millionth_ time she'd heard that in the last hour, and she was beginning to lose her patience.

"Just hold on a sec, Nami-san," she said into the phone before covering the receiver and bending to the young girl's height.

"Sorry, Midori-chan, but I need to go to work right away. I'll play when I get back. Until then, Saya-san will look after you," she explained, before straightening and putting the phone back to her ear.

"Nami-san? Okay, I'll be leaving in a couple of minutes. Try to keep Anna-san from leaving until then," she said, completely in business-mode. She snapped the cellphone shut and then turned to a pouting Midori.

Her face melted into a weak smile. Bending over, she ruffled the girl's light hair.

"I'm sorry, Mi-chan. Your mother had some important things to do, but I promise she won't be gone forever. We'll just have to be strong for her, okay? Mama would want you to be strong, and be happy! If you get sad, she'll be sad too!" she comforted, and the girl nodded, content in that little-girl way with the answer. Even if she couldn't exactly understand it, it sounded smart, so she'd go along with it.

Tomoyo giggled lightly and patted the girl's head one last time before turned and walking to the door.

As soon as the door was closed behind her, she took a very deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Good gosh, how does Sakura keep up with all these children of hers?" she exclaimed in exasperation, heaving one last sigh of exhaustion before walking briskly to her car.

* * *

Syaoran sat in his desk, leaning back and staring out the large window. His thoughts drifted to all that had happened the day before. He'd saved Sakura from a group of men, and gotten her to be his friend. Her kids had been introduced to him, and they were all such wonderful little kids.

He kept remembering her smile. He might have been fooled by it, as she was very good at acting like everything was alright. But he knew. She was still hurting. She had not gotten over what had happened. Heck, he didn't even know her for very long, but he already knew that! Something was wrong!

There was a knock on the door. Syaoran turned away from the window to face the door's direction.

"Come in," he called briskly, and the door opened. Two women stepped inside.

"Li, this is Hiiragizawa Tomoyo, as I'm sure you know. She appeared saying she had some business with you..." Chiharu said as Tomoyo stepped further into the room, looking around casually.

Syaoran rose an eyebrow at the Hiiragizawa woman standing in his office.

"Really? Has anything gone wrong with the product?" he asked, referring to a business deal they'd made not so long ago.

Tomoyo shook her head, long black waves flowing around her. "No, that's all going fine. I have a more...personal matter to discuss. I think it's time we start a new project, and I'll need your help," she explained, walking over to his desk and helping herself to a seat across from Syaoran's.

"Mihara, you're dismissed," Syaoran ordered, and Chiharu obediently left the room, closing the door.

Tomoyo waited until she heard the footsteps walking away before laying an open folder before Syaoran. Turning it around so he could read it, she pushed it towards him.

Syaoran read over the title, and then glanced up at Tomoyo.

"Hiiragizawa?" he questioned, frowning slightly.

A smirk came over her face. "I know you're not _quite_ so involved, however, this could all work out for your benefit. In all the time I've known you, you've been a real gentleman, and Chiharu-chan says that you're a good person. So, I think that, in the end, this will all be for the best. Even you would know that Sakura needs to get over what happened...for real, this time," Tomoyo explained.

Syaoran, after a few moments of consideration, nodded. "I understand, Hiiragizawa-san, but where do I come into this? As a friend? Because if so, then why did you come to me? She has many other friends, closer than I am by far," he questioned.

Tomoyo's grin deepened, and her amethyst eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Li-kun, I think it would be best if I left you to read over the documents. When you finish and you've made your decision on whether or not to participate, you can contact me, and if things are a go, we'll meet together with Eriol and discuss our first course of action," Tomoyo said, and stood from the seat. "Thank you for your time, Li-kun. Oh, and here's my cellphone number. It's the fastest way to contact me," she added, handing him a small business card, with her cell number written neatly on the back.

Syaoran nodded, and waited for the woman to leave before turning back to the papers Tomoyo had given him. He read the title out loud to himself.

"Operation 'Recover Sakura'...well, it won't hurt."

* * *

"I'm serious, Chi! The legend of the flying dogs is true! I saw a dog with wings just yesterday, and already, it's brought me all this good luck!" a man animatedly exclaimed.

The woman next to him rolled her eyes. "Tell it to someone who'll believe it, Takashi," she retorted, glancing up in the sky. The two were walking down the sidewalk to work together after lunch break.

"Seriously, Chi!" Takashi cried, trying to get the stubborn woman to believe him, but to no avail.

"Hello there, Yamazaki-kun, Mihara-san."

The couple looked up to see a familiar English-Japanese man in glasses smiling to them.

"Hiiragizawa-kun?" Chiharu questioned, cocking her head to the side.

"This may be some of a surprise, but both of you are Sakura-san's friends, so you should be involved in this. Here, I'll let you read over this, and call me when you're done. There will be a meeting after that to discuss our plan," he said, pulling out two documents and handing one to Chiharu and the other to Takashi.

Chiharu glanced at it briefly before her face twisted up into an expression of uncertainty.

"Um...is this what's best? I mean, Sakura-chan is doing fine, isn't she?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"She hasn't quite gotten over it, not in her heart. And now that your boss is a part of the picture, things have changed, and _some_ course of action is needed," Eriol explained.

Chiharu nodded slowly, and glanced up at Takashi. "Well, what do you say, Takashi?" she inquired.

"Whatever you wanna do is fine, Chi. I want to help Sakura-san as much as you do," Takashi replied, and Chiharu nodded.

"Alright. We'll be in touch soon," she agreed, and they bid their goodbyes as both headed off back to their separate workplaces.

* * *

The door to a quaint little cafe opened, the bells jingling, and a waitress with short brown hair and glasses looked up, a practiced smile appearing on her face.

"Welcome to Cherry Blossoms Cafe!" she greeted cheerfully, before blinking as she recognized who stood at the door.

"Well, I'm happy to be here, Naoko-chan, but I have something to discuss with you. How 'bout an oolong tea to go?" the woman said, starting over to a table for two.

"Sure, Tomoyo-chan!" Naoko agreed, hurrying back into the kitchen.

Tomoyo took her seat, and pulled out her bag. Reaching inside, she pulled out some papers, and placed them on the table as she waited for Naoko to arrive with her tea.

It didn't take long, and Naoko had gotten permission to take a short break to talk with Tomoyo.

"So...what are those papers for?" Naoko asked, already noticed the documents Tomoyo had.

"These," Tomoyo said, sliding the papers over to Naoko, "are our plan to save Sakura."

Naoko only glanced at the first page before nodding her head firmly.

"I'll do it. It's about time something happened around here!" she exclaimed, and Tomoyo smiled, nodding.

"I knew you'd feel that way. So, read these, and after you're done, contact me. After that we'll get together with everyone to make final plans," Tomoyo said, sipping on her tea as she stood.

"Alright! I'll get back to work, but I'll finish it as soon as I can!" Naoko agreed, also standing.

Tomoyo nodded. "Good. I'll talk to you later, then," Tomoyo said, giving Naoko money for the tea before leaving the small cafe, a triumphant smirk on her face.

* * *

The door to Hiiragizawa Eriol's office opened, revealing a young woman with dark and curly hair. She looked over to where Eriol sat, and he smiled pleasantly at her.

"Hello there, Sasaki-san. I'm sorry, Tomoyo was busy and couldn't discuss this with you, so I'm her replacement. That's fine, right?" he said, standing and offering her a seat.

"Yes, that's fine," she said, and sat. "I'm just curious about why you've called me here."

Eriol nodded, once again taking his seat behind his desk.

"That would be for a couple complicated reasons. You see, you're a good friend of Kinomoto Sakura's, so you're a part of this, unless you choose not to," Eriol said, pulling out the document from his desk.

"What do you mean?" Rika questioned, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

"This," Eriol said, pushing the document across the desk to Rika, who scanned the first page.

"Hiiragizawa-kun, perhaps I'm wrong, but Sakura has been doing fine since the incident two years ago, hasn't she? Sure, it was hard at first, but she got over it quickly enough, didn't she?" Rika replied in inquiry.

"Sasaki-san, you know as well as I do that Sakura has a tendency to cover up her feelings with a happy face. She's been doing it since what happened with Tsukishiro-kun," Eriol said, and Rika bit the insides of her cheeks, her eyebrows creasing in a slight frown.

"Well...since she's my friend, I guess...but I _do_ have a wedding coming up shortly, and that will be my main focus...if you understand that, then I'll agree," she replied hesitantly.

"Of course! Everyone knows how important that day is to you! We wouldn't want to get in the way, and Sakura-san would feel devastated!" Eriol rushed, and finally, Rika nodded.

"Alright then. I'll help you out," she agreed, picking up the documents.

"Wonderful! When you're done reading this, call Tomoyo or I, and from there, we'll all get together for a planning meeting," he said, leaning back in his chair, a happy smirk on his face.

Rika nodded, standing from the chair.

"I'll do my best," Rika said, bowing politely before leaving the room.

Eriol grinned wider as soon as the door had clicked shut.

"Everything is falling into place perfectly."

* * *

A phone rang, and a young girl ran to pick it up.

"Moshi moshi! This is the Kinomoto residence!" she greeted into the receiver.

_"Hi Hikari-chan! This is Tomoyo! May I speak with your mother?"_

Hikari grinned, recognizing the older woman's voice as her aunt's best friend, and chirped into the phone, "Sure! I'll go get her!"

_"Great! Thanks!" _Tomoyo replied, and Hikari put down the phone, skipping off to find her mother.

"Mommy! Tomoyo'nee-san is on the phone!" she cried out, and Kaho's head popped out of the kitchen.

"Oh, really? Thanks, dear," she said, and walked into the hall, picking up the abandoned phone with a greeting.

"Hello? Tomoyo-san?"

_"Hello Kaho! I guess you know it's me. Alright, I'll get straight to business. Sakura-chan should be arriving there in roughly an hour and a half, correct?" _Tomoyo asked over the phone.

"Yes, that's right," Kaho replied, frowning slightly in confusion.

_"Okay, good. I think you know as well as I do that this is the time for her to get over what happened, and I want it all to go down as smoothly as possible," _Tomoyo explained.

"What are you talking about, Tomoyo-san?" Kaho asked, glancing over at Hikari nearby before heading upstairs where she could get some privacy.

_"Okay, this is the plan..."_

* * *

In Hong Kong, a woman with black hair tied up into a ponytail was walking at an easy pace and casually sipping on a coffee, not having much to do after work.

Her cellphone rang, and she pulled it out, flipping it open.

"Hello?" she greeted in Cantonese.

_"Hi there, Meiling. This is your dear cousin Eriol calling,"_ the man on the other end said, speaking in Japanese rather than Cantonese.

"Oh, Eriol? What is it?" she asked, switching to Japanese.

_"Are you busy right now?"_ he asked hastily.

"No, I just left work. Why? What is it?" Meiling asked, talking a sip of her coffee.

_"Well, actually..."_

It was a while before Eriol finished explaining everything, but when he did, Meiling sighed.

"You're lucky I don't have any big meetings coming up soon, and that I have somebody reliable to replace me," she chided, throwing out her now-finished coffee in a garbage can.

_"Of course! So that means you're in, right?"_ he said.

"Yeah, Sakura's my friend too, and since Syaoran is so interested in her, I'll do what I can to help him out. I'll be in Japan by tomorrow," Meiling replied, a smile coming over her face as she thought over the plan Eriol had told her.

_"Good. I'll see you then, and I'll give you your papers when you arrive,"_ Eriol replied.

"Yep. Goodbye," Meiling said, shutting her phone, a giddy smile sparkling in her eyes.

"This is gonna be interesting," she mused before starting off towards home to make arrangements.

* * *

Tomoyo looked around the table at the people gathered here. It was evening of the following day, and besides Eriol and herself, there were six people at the table.

"Hiiragizawa, when are you going to get to the point?" Syaoran shot at Tomoyo, obviously growing impatient.

"As soon as our food gets here," Tomoyo replied calmly. They'd all been waiting in tense apprehension, anxiously curious about what was to come.

Soon, the waiters arrived with their food, and once they were gone, Eriol got straight to business.

"Alright, just the fact that you're here means that you read your documents. Now, each of you had a different outline, because each of you plays a different role in the overall plan. Each role is important, mind you. Also, Kaho-san, Touya-san, and Fujitaka-san would also be here, but as you all know, Sakura is back in Tomoeda, and that part of the plan is incredibly crucial, as I'm sure you would guess. They've already been informed of their part in the plan, but here, since you all only got your part in the plan, we're going over everything, all the parts, so everybody knows what's going on," he explained, and everybody nodded along.

And so, throughout the meal, Tomoyo and Eriol went over the entire plan with everybody gathered there. It took quite a while, even after dessert, but those listening already knew it would take a while.

"Now...we've answered all your questions, right?" Tomoyo inquired, and all the people there nodded.

"Great! So, the plan is already being put into action. For now, we're leaving it to Kaho and the others. Be ready, everyone, and make sure you do well!" Tomoyo exclaimed excitedly.

There was a loud cheer of agreement, and Tomoyo met eyes with Eriol. They shared a happy smile, and the night continued.

* * *

Sakura stared out the window of the train, recognizing the familiar countryside, her heart twisting when she realized how close they were to her hometown.

_"Next stop: Tomoeda. Be ready to depart from the train," _the voice over the intercom informed, and Sakura sighed, gathering her things together. Glancing out the window one last time, she couldn't help but have the feeling that after this, things would never be the same.

How right she was.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay! This sets the ground for the next chapter, and the chapters to come! Wee! And you'll have to wait before you know the plan...well, actually, I'll never lay it out in plain words before you, you'll just see it in action. heehee. :D

Side Note: Eriol in cousins with Meiling, and Meiling is cousins with Syaoran, but Syaoran is NOT cousins with Eriol. Just to make that clear. Meiling's dad and Syaoran's dad are brothers. Meiling's mom and Eriol's dad are siblings. Well, that's for this story, at least.


End file.
